The Toronto Blue Jays are one of the best teams in Major League Baseball at disappointing their passionate fan base. John Gibbons’ side begin to build momentum and fans start to dream and then the Blue Jays crash and burn – it has been the same old story at Rogers Centre for the past three years. This year; everything was supposed to change but it just hasn’t panned out that way and another campaign with no playoff baseball looks likely.

Blue Jays Need To Maintain Momentum

Kevin Pillar

Toronto’s recent form says it all: won five, lost five. The Blue Jays just cannot seem to put an impressive run of results together and Canadian sports fans will be frustrated at how the 2018 season has gone so far. Gibbons has a real job on his hands to keep supporters happy at Rogers Centre; the hardcore fan base will turn at some point in the near future if Toronto continue to fall short.

This time is too good to fail. Toronto struggled to bounce back after injuries hindered their 2017 campaign but there are no excuses for failure this time around. The Blue Jays have to get past this mental block that is quite clearly affecting their preparation for big matches. At 34-40 on the year, Toronto still have time to turn things around but it is hard to put too much faith in Gibbons’ side on current form.

KEY MAN: Kevin Pillar. Who’d have thought that Pillar would feature as our man to watch? Selected in the 32nd round of the 2013 draft, Pillar is now an established name for the Blue Jays and he has been solid enough with the bat this year. With seven home runs, 35 runs, 72 hits and two triples, he ranks towards the top of Toronto’s charts in most batting categories and he could make the difference in this weekend’s series.

Angels Bang In The Playoff Race

Mike Trout

Los Angeles came out on top in the first game of the series on Thursday night and there will be plenty of punters backing the Angels to record a clean sweep over Toronto. The Angels, currently third in the American League West, have lost seven of their previous 10 games and a confidence-lifting series triumph will help Los Angeles in their pursuit of playoff baseball.

Their lack of recent form will give Toronto fans hope though; the Angels are one of Major League Baseball’s most inconsistent teams. It is therefore quite difficult to predict a winner this weekend – you could argue that the Blue Jays have the talent to put Los Angeles to the sword if they find their best form.

KEY MAN: Mike Trout. Trout has been one of Los Angeles’ best players this year; recording more appearances than any of his Angels teammates. In addition, Trout has notched more home runs (23) than his peers and he has that explosive power to be LA’s difference maker on a regular basis. Write him off at your peril…

PREDICTION

The Angels have a 19-19 record on home turf and Toronto will take confidence from reading that particular record. Gibbons knows that the pressure is on and Blue Jays fans are starting to lose patience so it wouldn’t be a huge surprise to see Toronto produce a memorable effort this weekend. Pillar’s form could be pivotal to their chances of success but he is more than capable of stepping up to the plate and leading the Blue Jays to victory.ANGELS 3-6 BLUE JAYS